Former swim coach admits having sex with student

WEST CHESTER – The former West Chester Rustin High School swimming coach pleaded guilty Wednesday to engaging in an inappropriate sexual relationship with one of his female team members.

Kenneth Fuller stood before Common Pleas Court Judge David Bortner and admitted that he had taken the girl, then 17 years old, to a hotel and an area park in the spring of 2012 and had sex with her after supplying her with alcohol.

He also admitted that he had helped fake a doctor’s letter for her that would excuse her from missing class when the two had one of their trysts. Finally, he acknowledged that after his arrest in May, he had continued to contact the girl about his case – although there is a disagreement about what exactly he said and why.

Fuller, dressed in a blue business suit, striped dress shirt and tie, said little during the 30-minute hearing in Bortner’s courtroom besides saying he understood the rights he was giving up in entering his guilty plea, and understood the charges against him. He was accompanied by family members and his attorney, Vincent DiFabio of Paoli.

The victim in the case also appeared in the courtroom with family members, but did not address the court. She will be given the opportunity to speak to Bortner when he hands down his sentence, which is likely to come in March following the completion of a pre-sentencing report.

The girl’s name is being withheld by the Daily Local News because of the nature of the charges against Fuller.

Fuller, 48, of East Goshen, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of endangering the welfare of children, which carries with it a possible maximum sentence of 3˝ to seven years in prison, and a standard recommended sentence of between three months and one year in jail.

He also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of corruption of minors, tampering with records, selling or furnishing liquor to minors, and three counts of harassment. Most of those charges carry with them recommendations for short prison terms or probation. None of the charges is associated with the state’s Megan’s Law.

As part of the plea agreement hammered out between DiFabio and Deputy District Attorney Elizabeth Pitts, a charge of institutional sexual assault was withdrawn.

“I know this is a serious case, and a difficult case for its personal implications not only for the victim but also for the defendant,” said Bortner in scheduling the case for sentencing.

The facts that Fuller agreed to were read by Pitts, a veteran prosecutor with the county DA’s Child Abuse Unit. Fuller coached boys and girls swimming at the high school in the West Chester Area School District from 2009 until his dismissal in 2012 following his arrest,

Pitts said that Fuller and the girl in March 2012 began meeting off campus, at first to discuss the girl’s future swimming career and possible employment as a lifeguard. They met for coffee and conversation, and at some point Fuller began kissing her and the relationship escalated.

Pitts said the two had sexual relations on multiple occasions between April 27 and May 4, including a trip to an area hotel in April and a visit to a park in Thornbury, not far from Rustin’s campus. At some point, Fuller got a letter from a doctor who had been seeing his 15-year-old daughter and gave it to the girl so that she could present it to school officials explaining her absence.

Fuller also pretended to be the girl’s father so that she could get out of school and meet him.

Their relationship was discovered when a friend of the girl’s learned of it and notified authorities. The case was investigated by Westtown-East Goshen police and Chester County Detectives, and he was arrested on May 16 at Cheyney University, where he was coaching swimming for a club team. Fuller also coached the Pennypacker County Club, the Malvern Swim Club, and served on the board of directors at the Wedgewood Swim Club.

The harassment charges that were added on Wednesday stem from contact that Fuller had with the girl following his arrest. Pitts said that on numerous occasions, he would stop her as she left a gymnasium he knew she was working out at. He gave her a cell phone so that they could talk and that could not be traced to either.

Pitts told Bortner that on those occasions, Fuller tried to convince the girl to tell police she had lied to them when she informed them of their relationship. But DiFabio said that his client, while acknowledging the contact, was not trying to make the girl recant – only to express to her the harm the case was having on his family.

Fuller continues to be free on bail.

At the time of his arrest, District Attorney Thomas Hogan called his conduct “a despicable violation of trust.”

“Rule number one for every high school teacher and coach is: Do not have sex with a student,” Hogan said. “Anybody who breaks this rule will be arrested, fired, lose any professional license, and eventually go to jail.”